The Christmas Tree
by freya kurenai
Summary: Because, Raito, it is an Old English custom to please the Winter Fairies who come into the house at the darkest of Christmas nights by hanging sugar-based effigies of men for them to eat..." // Christmas at the Yagami-Lawliet household.


_"On the first day of Christmas,_

_My true love gave to me_

_A partridge in a pear tree."_

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.december14th, 2pm.

Raito Yagami looked at the Christmas tree in the middle of the room, noting with great satisfaction that it was devoid of anything out of the ordinary with regards to a Christmas tree erected in the living room of the Yagami-Lawliet household.

He didn't notice the pair of obsidian eyes that watched from afar, a certain glint in their unfathomable depths.

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.december15th, 3pm.

Ring, ring, ring.

Matt glanced around the room. Seeing as neither Mello nor Near were in it, he could only assume that Mello was on his way to making Near's life hell, and that Near was off with another puzzle. He sighed, paused his game, and leaned over the tuna-can city to pick up the ringing phone.

"Yeah?"

"Good afternoon, Matt."

His eyes widened behind his goggles, and Matt snuck a glance at the door. No one was coming/rushing/shuffling in.

"Hey... What can I do for you?" Even if there _was_ no one, he wasn't about to risk his life (_virtual or not_) just because he mentioned a coveted letter-come-name.

"Are Mello and Near away?"

Matt nodded before verbalizing his response. "Mel's making Near's life hell, Near's probably playing with one of his puzzles."

"Hm. Please inform them of my call, then, when they return. And at that time, call me back."

The utter seriousness in his (_well, the orphanage's_) idol's voice made Matt's eyes narrow. Was this about Kira?

"Of course. But why did you call in the first place?"

He heard the smile, albeit small, in the low 'hm' that was the genius's reply.

"You shall be further informed later, when Mello and Near are there. For now,"

Click. Beep, beep, beep. Matt stared at the phone, and after a few moments, resumed his game. The phone was sitting beside him when Near shuffled into the room, clutching an Optimus Prime figure, at the same time Mello climbed in through the window.

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.december15th, two hours later.

Mello couldn't stop grinning. It was, Matt decided, creepier than usual.

Near was staring at the phone, and the corners of his lips were turned up into a barely-there smile. Matt thought he was going to lose it, in maybe a few minutes. In the good way, of course.

Matt himself was grinning, as well. The notepad in his hands felt like a gift from God.

Christmas had suddenly gotten interesting.

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.december16th, 5pm.

It was the first argument, and Raito expected no less from the man who was practically made of sugar.

"And why, pray tell, would we need to hang strings of pure-brown-sugar gingerbread men around the tree?" how would they even make the darn things was an even better question, but it was a question Raito did not really want to ask the man before him.

L's eyes remained unblinking, even as he replied quite calmly, "Because, Raito, it is an Old English custom to please the Winter Fairies who come into the house at the darkest of Christmas nights by hanging sugar-based effigies of men for them to eat, else we would suffer a terrible, terrible accident on the day of Christmas itself."

A beat passed, before Raito rolled his eyes and broke off a limb from one of the gingerbread men L had baked.

"Neither of us are Old English, L."

L grabbed the limb Raito had torn off and popped it into his mouth.

"I might be."

Raito scoffed.

"Try again." with this, he leaned over the table to give the older man a minute-long kiss.

As the brunette turned away from him to pour himself a glass of water, L smirked. Oh, he would try again, no doubt about that.

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.december17th, 5:30pm.

The shopping district wasn't as crowded as they'd anticipated, a fact that Near was quite thankful for. Bad enough that he actually had to wear shoes; they had agreed to walk to their destination as well. After another car passed by, leaving a trail of black smoke behind it, Near had had enough.

Mello and Matt were ahead of him, though not by much. They were having a rather animated discussion over where they were to buy the things L had called for, when suddenly, a white blur was wedged between them. Mello's scarf was pulled off his neck and Matt's goggles were tugged from his head.

Matt blinked. Mello looked annoyed, but not murderous. Before either of them could question Near's sudden bout of thieving, the boy had stopped in front of a small shop, his hands on the glass panes. Peering in, the other boys' eyes widened.

"It's like... Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes..."

"You're right..."

"It's perfect, then."

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.december18th, 4pm.

When Raito came home the day before, the Christmas tree had been coated with milk-chocolate snow, and had turned, from a normal Evergreen, into a sugar-green tree. It even had maraschino cherries acting as holly.

It was promptly dragged outside and watered down into the drain. L's kicked puppy-look lasted until desert.

Today, the tree was fitted with a gossamer sheen, a veil of pure honey that sparkled with small granules of sugar and mint. He could feel his teeth aching even as he stared at it.

L was chewing on a spare swatch of the honey-cloth, his eyes never leaving his latest 'masterpiece'.

He had five minutes to further admire it, before Raito attacked it with latex gloved-hands and a non-stick garbage bag.

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.december19th, 11am.

"And it was _so cool_ and there was _chocolate everywhere_ and there was a _statue_ of _St. Nicholas_ made entirely out of _dark chocolate_!"

"Mel, seriously, I loved the store as much as you did---"

"_No you didn't-- I love it MORE._"

"Whatever, just quit the drooling man, it's totally infantile."

"_Chocolate, pure chocolate_-- and damn those punks for bumping into me, I almost dropped one of those Wonka Bars!"

"Anyway, we got almost everything you wanted, except that last one."

"Very good. I will take care of that last item."

"Glad to be of help, L."

"You should ask us for this _every year_. I don't care how much pocket money I have to steal, I _need _to go back there again! For the rest of my life!"

"Mel, _chill_."

"I'll say goodbye for now, boys. Give my regards to Near."

"Will do, chief."

"Like hell!"

It was a few moments before Mello noticed something.

"Hey... Matt?"

"Hm?" the redhead looked up from the list he was checking to raise an eyebrow at the blonde.

"...Where _is _Near?"

"...Oh, snap."

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.december20th, 1pm.

There was a reindeer-shaped log in the fireplace. There were elf-shaped stockings hanging above it. L was sewing honeyed pop-corn pieces together with a line of thread. On his head was a Santa hat, hopefully made of cotton and wool.

Raito's mother squealed and went to hug the daylights out of her son-in-law. Sayu gaped at the pile of sweets on the mantle. His father clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"It'll pass." he managed to mutter, after L revealed that the thread was actually spun sugar.

Raito groaned. _Not soon enough._

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.december20th, 3am.

Near had a weak spot for candied apples.

Matt had a weak spot for Near (_and for Mello, but then, Mello had used him as a punching bag before, so there was logic there_).

Mello had a weak spot for a certain redheaded gamer, and a certain white-haired genius who had a weakness for candied apples.

The group of punks they'd seen as they walked out of the store had a weak spot for anything innocent or fuckable.

Near, as Matt and Mello had long since realized, was a bit of both.

As they drove down the road, with Matt and Near curled up in the passenger seat and Mello at the wheel, the trio resolved never to lose track of each other's whereabouts, ever again.

A pissed off Mello was one thing, and a pissed off (_but not obviously so_) Near was another.

But a pissed off Matt was a thing of nightmares.

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.december21st, 8pm.

"_Ngghh_--Rait-o..."

"You were--_ohgod_--asking for this--_dammit_--since _yesterday_."

"Hn, I didn't think you'd... _ahh_... notice..."

"_As if_..."

"Hmm..."

"Do me a favor..."

"Mhmm?"

"Run away with me for Christmas. I don't think I can stand a repeat of dinner."

L held a chocolate-coated finger to his lips, his eyes going half-lidded, "I have a better idea."

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.december22nd, 9am.

"The roads are closed, L."

A harsh snow storm had hit the area of Whammy's Orphanage, and so far, no vehicle had been allowed entry into the main road which connected it to the rest of the town.

Raito looked at the world-famous detective, noticing how he chewed on the pad of his thumbed a bit harder, and how his toes curled into the cushion of his armchair.

"We'll wait."

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.december22nd, 4pm.

Still no sign of anything. Even Raito was beginning to get worried. He knew those three were tough, but still, they were only _children_.

The silence in the car was broken by a shrill ringing, and L wasted no time in answering it, albeit still in his customary finger-hold.

"Hello?"

"Could you open the trunk, please?"

With a speed Raito had never thought he possessed, L scrambled out of the car and into the snow covered road. Raito followed suit, and smiled at the scene unfolding at the back of the car.

L had pulled all three of his successors into a hug, and was in turn glomped by said successors. Near was the first to voice his discomfort at being sandwiched between the other boys and L, and pretty soon they were all standing at a perfectly acceptable distance from each other.

"How did you get here?" he asked, looking the trio over. They were certainly bundled up quite a bit, Near most of all, with a black scarf around his neck and leather trench coat wrapped around him.

To his surprise, Matt and Mello yawned. Near made an odd coughing noise.

"We burned the midnight oil."

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.december22nd, 8pm.

"You drove all the way from town to the main road, camped out for some sleep, and found yourselves twelve feet away from the snow block...?"

Even Soichiro had a disbelieving look on his face. His wife, Sayu and L, however, met this with disapproving glares.

"Never mind the details, dear, I'm just glad you boys are safe!"

Sayu echoed her mother's concern, even going so far as to ask Near if he was warm enough. The boy nodded, replying that he was quite warm, huddled between Matt and Mello as he was, with several blankets over them.

L had given each boy some hot cocoa, and Raito had fed the fireplace some more wood. After a few more minutes of concerned and relieved chatter, the Yagami's filed away, heading for their rooms.

Raito glanced at L, who had pushed an armchair in front of the boys. He suppressed a smile, and asked, "Sleeping with the children tonight, dear?"

With a straight face, L answered, "I hope you won't mind, darling."

Matt and Near covered their ears while Mello gagged at the 'display'. And then, all three shouted, "We're not _children_!"

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.december23rd, 6am.

L peered into the bags the boys had concealed under there luggage and smiled. Everything was there. Except...

"Sayu-chan, would you like to come with me to the convenience store? We've run out of sugar, it seems."

"Of course, L-nii-san! Just let me get my coat..."

As they walked through the aisles, Sayu asked, "What are those for, L-nii-san?" the large yellow packets were a bit familiar...

"It's for the Christmas tree." L answered simply, and swept the entire shelf of potato chips into the shopping cart.

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.december23rd, 12:30pm.

"Near?"

"Yes, Matt?"

"Mello?"

"The hell, Matt."

"...It's snowing."

Suddenly, three faces were pressed against the window glass, and three pairs of eyes followed the gentle descent of the snowflakes from the sky.

Soichiro had the sudden, inexplicable urge to faint.

"What's wrong with Gramps?"

"Dunno."

Soichiro twitched, and rushed out of the room.

"I think we should refrain from making such blatant references to his old age."

"..._ouch_, Near."

"Brutal. I like it."

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.december24th, 3pm.

"Seriously, don't you trust us, _Dad_?" Mello smirked at the disgruntled look on Raito's face and thought, _ah, sweet victory._

"I don't even want to acknowledge that illogical question." the older brunette snapped back, earning himself a whistle from Matt and a raised eyebrow from Near. L had yet to come down from their room, and was thus not responsible for his successor's behaviour.

"If Raito thinks that we are unfit to guard the house while he is away, he probably should not have married into the family in the first place." Near stated, in a voice designed to make grown men cry and make ex-mass murderers give in.

As of a couple of years ago, Raito was both.

By the time L descended the stairs in 'proper' winter attire, Raito's migraine had doubled.

"Are we ready to go, Raito?" L asked, and he was met with three evil smirks and one defeated smile.

"Of course."

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.december24th, 4pm.

"Tie this there..."

"No, I think it goes over _here_."

"Your assumptions are incorrect. It is to be placed _under _the fire truck."

"What about the game boys?"

"They go beside the cigarettes."

"And this thing...? Whatever it is..."

"I think L wants that for himself."

"Hmm."

"Why do we have a bushel of these again?"

"It was on the list..."

"...wow, that's a big bag of Lay's."

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.december25th, 9am.

When they'd returned the night before, Near and Matt had apparently gone to sleep, leaving Mello to greet them. They'd all stayed up for another half hour before heading off for their respective bedrooms. The living room had been dark when Raito and L had passed by. Neither bothered to check if it was still relatively normal.

Raito couldn't believe his eyes.

It was a tree, an actual Christmas tree, a proper Evergreen-- decorated with toys, and sweets, and cigarettes, and games, and _chips_, and _more _sweets, and _apples_ and pens...

...and there was a bag of potato chips at the very top.

L stood at his side for a few moments, before walking towards the absurd-looking Christmas tree.

There was a pile of blocks at the foot of the tree, amidst the presents. Spelled out quite neatly were the words, "Merry Christmas".

L plucked a chip from the garland and walked back to the stunned brunette.

Looking up at him, with a small but happy smile on his face, L spoke, "Merry Christmas, Raito." with that, he placed the chip in his mouth, leaving at least half hanging out.

Raito looked at L, and then back at the Christmas tree. He could see Matt's, Mello's and Near's hands all over it... but the apples and the chips... those were L's. Those were for him.

He smiled, an amused chuckle making it through his lips before he leaned down to claim the other half of the chip L was holding out for him.

"Merry Christmas, L."

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_fin_

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**Author's Notes: **On the first day of Christmas, my dearest BoTMF (Best of Thinking Morbid-Friend) gave to me, a set of pairings, 4 times 3. :D Lol. Ignoring that fail!rhyme... Here's the First Day of my **12days of Christmas **prompt set, spanning OC/fandoms known mostly to my BoTMF. Alternate Reality, as both our favourite boys still live... and so do their children XD The theme of this one is based on the first verse of the carol, and the statement, _'Something absurd'_. Which I took to be the Christmas Tree. Now, I tried to be as canonically correct as possible, but I've seriously forgotten the brand of those potato chips Raito ate in the series. D:

In any case, an advanced Merry Christmas to you all! XD

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.omake.

.december25th, 11am.

While the rest of the family gathered around the Christmas tree, opening gifts and greeting each other 'Merry Christmas!', Near curled further into his cocoon of blankets and trench coats, willing the pounding in his head to go away.

The redhead to his left grumbled, and wrapped his arms tighter around him. Christmas and gifts be damned, he wanted his sleep. _Final Fantasy XIII _could wait until later.

Without a sound, the blonde on Near's right turned up the heater and threw another blanket over their huddled forms. After checking to see if their door was still locked, he climbed back under the mountain of covers and reached over the pale boy to pull the gamer closer.

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.downstairs.

Raito looked around, noticing the absence of certain geniuses in the room. "Where're the kids?"

As his mother hid a laugh behind her new sweater, L craned his neck to look up before answering, "Still asleep."

"Should I wake them up? The cocoa's getting cold..."

Sayu giggled, scooting closer to her mother.

"I'd advise you not to, Raito. Near and Mello do not take kindly to being awakened so early on holidays."

The brunette frowned and, ignoring his 'wife's' words of warning, ascended the stairs to the guest room.

A few moments later, there was a crash, a thump, several obscene words, and finally, silence. When Raito came back down to the living room, there was a bump on his head and he was holding his arm with a pained expression.

"I told you so," L shrugged.

Soichiro couldn't help but smirk at the look on his son's face.

_Ah, fatherhood._


End file.
